Private Western Brisshal Throwing Bones

[Nyx]

"Where da fuck is she?"

Their unit consisted of three paladins, all clad in dark onyx armor with helmets that obscured their faces. When they were closer to the Traveler settlements like they were, it was easier to go about their daily tasks. Said Travelers didn't seem as freaked out when they couldn't view the rotting faces beneath, some missing pivotal parts of their anatomy which would send any player screaming in the other direction were they to view it.

They were largely harmless, here more to protect a few of Lucia's citizens who enjoyed picking the wildflowers that grew up on this hill. Said citizens, when finished, would return to camp, fashion them into crowns or potions or even ink, and sell them to the others. It was an unnecessary thing to do, but it made them happy. Lucia was quite clear about keeping people happy.

So when this Traveler walked up to the lead paladin and poked him in the chest, uncaring of the dark armor he adorned or the curved sword at his side, all three of Lucia's paladins are taken aback. They glance from her shorter stature to each other and back again. The indecision on whether to engage or merely ignore her is the first thought that runs rampant across their minds, but it's easy to see that she isn't going to go away.

And there could only be one she that the Traveler is referencing.

"The Dark Lady is—"

"Take me ta her right fucking now," she growls, interrupting whatever their leader was going to say.

There is another prolonged pause while one subordinate turns slightly to keep their actual charges in view and the other rests a hand on the maul dangling from his belt. They didn't like her energy, this frenzied rage that bubbled beneath her skin and made her emerald eyes pop and flare. They didn't understand it and they didn't want it at the camp. The camp was peaceful.

This Traveler would disrupt that.

But this Traveler was also adamant about getting her way and Lucia could, of course, take care of herself if things came to blows. The Leader shifts uncomfortably before clearing his throat and giving a small nod.

"I will take you. Follow me."

@Lucia Mierz

 

[Lucia Mierz]

The paladins were largely hesitant whenever approached. Their first instinct was usually thinking that some player had mistaken them for monsters, their first instinct always to defend and not risk killing if they didn't have to. The reaction was different though, asking to meet their saintess, it was alarming but in the end they relented. However they were aware of the project their saintess was working on, it was the reason for their unease as they led her into the woods towards the camp site.

Upon arriving at the depths, they exchanged weary gestures with the overly serious checkpoints leading in. Security was unusually tight considering how Lucia was typically open, it was unusual though Triss might not know the difference or be of the right mind to really notice. Instead, after passing two tightly patrolled checkpoints with Triss in toe the paladins led her back to the clearing, it looked a great deal different. The furniture all finished and dried and put away, the tent looked presentable. The biggest difference however, was the large massive pile of wood and materials just haphazardly thrown together, wood and lumber of all sizes and shapes carved for a clear purpose it seemed but not pieced together and instead just thrown into a pile. Resin added onto the pile in jars or wet cloth bags, there were even corpses of creatures and monsters bleeding out over the materials, intentionally placed there... but why.

Lucia would be easy enough to find, sitting towards the center of the clearing, between her pile of project materials and her tent sitting in a chair as elegantly as she had before. Though rather then the material pile that skeletons and civilians were working on loading up with materials, she was working on something else for the moment. A small girl sat in front of her, expression bland and indifferent, almost soul-less like a doll as Lucia brushed her hair slowly and carefully with a small smile. "Alice is such a good girl~ So cute~" Lucia spoke, trying to placate the girl with a smile, as if she'd been working hard to settle her down.

Despite her praise though the small girl only smiled like a doll, her glazed eyes unfeeling and empty as ever as she spoke with a monotonous voice. "Miss made Alice cute... So Alice is cute... Alice... Will be anything... For Miss..." The child spoke, an eerie amount of determination in her voice. It was something that made Lucia weary and worried but she tried to brush past it knowing how unstable Alice was compared to her other summons. It was best just to let her be happy while she could be happy less anything worrisome happen. "That's right... Alice should be cute and sweet and friendly--" Lucia continued trying to use kind harmless words to ensure Alice didn't become too much of a monster.

@Trissayne Lavelle

 

[Nyx]

The air vibrated with caution. It screamed at Trissayne even as she shoved her way forward, her green eyes snapping with fury, her mouth set in a grim line and her molars clenched together. Hate vibrated through every fiber of her being and her fingers hadn't unclenched from their balled position since they started back this way. They certainly didn't uncurl now.

She didn't care who Lucia was talking to. She didn't look at the piles of rubble around them, the other undead that was building, organizing, or merely milling about. These non-player characters meant jack shit to her. The only one who did mean something—anything—was sitting there, talking, cooing even, to another one of these...displays of code made into walking, talking, breathing, interactable objects. Because that's what they were: objects. They weren't alive. They weren't even real.

It was all a fucking trick.

"You." Trissayne snarls as she storms up to the necromancer, a vein bulging in her forehead. Her legs are stiff, her shoulders pushed back, the muscles in her arms bulging slightly from how tightly she's holding her fists. One hand lifts and a finger points directly at Lucia's face, the difference in height between her sitting and Trissayne standing doing wonders for the younger woman's feeling of superiority.

"You left!" The words erupt from her tongue with an outraged screech. "I saw ya. I saw da minute you be logging out. Be leaving everybody dere to fend fer demselves while you went off and...and..what?! Whatcha be doing dat be so much more important dan helping people stay alive against dat ting!!"

@Lucia Mierz

 

[Lucia Mierz]

Lucia continued focusing on Alice the best she could despite Triss's yelling. It would no doubt lead to more misunderstandings as she kept trying to brush the girl's hair while Triss yelled at her. Lucia was doing it for her own safety, doing her best to preserve the small girl's mood. If Triss was watching the child she'd see the girl's eyes suddenly widen unnaturally, unblinking, lightless eyes staring downward at the sudden stimulation. If Triss had a Magical sense, she'd be able to feel or notice 'The Warden' opening it's eye inside of the small girl, but without one it would be hard to get a taste of danger from her appearance alone.

Once she realized Alice wouldn't be easily placated, she turned her head towards Triss finally, as if she'd been hoping the problem would go away if she ignored it. "I did. If I stayed there was a chance I might've died. I don't have any more second chances like the rest of you might." Lucia spoke bitterly, it wasn't up to her to stay or leave really. The risks just weren't worth the reward for her who still had people counting on her in reality. The girl's yelling did put her off slightly though, wasn't this the one who was telling her everything was a game? 1s and 0s? "You seem really agitated though, didn't you think this was all just a game? That it was just code? If you didn't believe my warnings, why are you so upset?" She asked, the bitterness still in her tone largely because she could feel Alice moving under her hands.

Twice since she started talking, the girl made an effort to stand while Lucia used a hand on the shoulder to keep her sitting on the ground. Lucia thought this would be enough at least. As long as Triss wasn't crazy enough to try and take a swing or push or shove it shouldn't escalate further. Thinking it was best to defuse the scenario before Alice genuinely got involved she tried to disarm Triss's argument first, surely the woman wasn't so emotional that she'd just lash out again right?

@Trissayne Lavelle

 

[Nyx]

"Some duchess you be!" Trissayne says, spittle flying from her lips with the volume and intensity of her words. She drags the back of her hand across her mouth, but her gaze never leaves the woman cradling the child on the ground. In fact, Triss glances down at Alice once and then dismisses her with the same look.

Trissayne begins to pace, her legs working her quickly back and forth in front of Lucia. "Ya be sitting out here wit...wit...dese bits of code dat ya got ta answer ta ya, ta wait on ya hand and foot. While real-life people be dying in da mud because of dat...ting." She gestures wildly with her hands as she speaks, her eyes snapping from Lucia to those milling around this little clearing who either looked on in slight alarm or ignored their altercation altogether. And then the pivotal question dances into the air, the whirl nearly catching Trissayne off guard. But she steadies herself and pins Lucia with a glare that would have been enough to melt steel.

"People died, ya rotten coward bitch," the spiritmancer snarls, her voice quivering with the power it takes to keep it steady, keep her words understandable. "Dey experienced dat, dey felt it—I felt...it." And here, her words falter and her eyes drop to the ground. The sound of buzzing flies assaults her ears and her skin prickles with the phantom pain of needles sticking in and sucking out her life fluid. She shakes her head, forcing it away, and her feet stumble back a step, two steps, before she regains control of herself.

And she holds onto her rage with two fists because it's the only emotion she wants to feel right now.

"While you be sitting out here lollygagging away wit dese fucking tings! Dey ain't real people! Dey ain't real minds! But, oh, ta you, dey be, right? Couldn't help da actual people, oh no. Gotta help dese tings dat ya been tricked inta believing are real."

Scoffing, she gives Lucia a murderous once-over.

"Loony, rotten cunt ya are."

@Lucia Mierz

 

[Lucia Mierz]

With a soft sigh, Lucia flashed a smile despite the girl's criticism and energy. She maintained a measure of class and dignity no matter how heated certain things got. "I understand you're upset, but lets go over what you're thinking. I appear to be a coward, I don't fault you for that; I've seen people die in reality as a result of dying here, so I certainly am afraid of risking another death. But, correct me if I'm wrong, I'm the one who believes in the dangers of this place. You're the one who sees it as a loss of EXP... If this were really a game to you, isn't it just normal to die in a game?" She asked dryly. She couldn't understand why Triss would be so upset... unless she also started to understand the dangers of this game and one's life being in jeopardy.

The more animated she became though, the more furious she became, the more Alice seemed to twitch. People could tell Lucia they weren't real, they could insult her dreams and her ambitions, Alice couldn't understand most snide remarks or hostile language. What she did feel was the intent. The moment Triss began giving harsh once overs and murderous glares, Alice's head finally tilted upwards to meet the woman's eyes.

".̵̝̌.̸̪͗.̶̛̼w̴̨̆h̵͈̓y̶̻͐.̵̥͝.̶̡̒.̵̗̓.̸̞͐.̶̪̊.̵̦̓.̸̞͘?̷̖͑"

Lucia had something of a start, trying to put a hand on the girl's head to restrain her but it didn't stop her for long as she stood up despite Lucia's gentle pressing. Rising up to her full height, the small girl only reached about up to Triss's waist with a blank and indifferent glare that grew deeper and deeper. Fury churned, stirring hunger that frothed and bubbled caustically as Alice approached Triss.

".̶̨̫̑͆̈̕.̵̗̱̀.̸̢̘̓͂̀̊ẘ̷͖̞̫͐h̵͍̼́́ŷ̴̢̲̞.̶̫̮̀̈́̋͘.̵͖̹͝.̸̮͓̫̏ ̶͕̹̿̎̃ẗ̷͖̲ở̴̲ ̸̧͕̈́t̴̨̓a̴̱͖̩͒ͅl̴͓̩̳̭̀̃̿͆k̶͇̲͕̥̑̈́̇̿ ̵͔̬͓̇̔͌͜t̸̩̫͇̤̿͂̓o̴̘͂̅͛ ̸̧͇̖͉̔̿͝ơ̶̙̰̔͗͝ű̸͔̖̾r̶̳̰̼͉͌̌̑ ̶̛̫̣̙̄̀͝m̶̭̯͛ì̸͇͗͘͜͝s̷̘͑̆͆͝s̶̨͕̳̈́̿̋ ̵̨̯̮͊͆͜l̴̘̱͇̍͆͜i̶̲̦͂̋͌͘k̴̰̬͊̈͂͘e̴͔̪͔̬͋̈́̐ ̵̣͚͑̀̌t̵̙̋̆͌h̵͍̱̞͕̿̿͐ą̴̤͔̀̓̐t̸̲͐?̴̘̣̻̈̋͝"
".̷̡̨̙͉̊͑.̷̯̖̱̹̪̥͔͕̘̔̓̓̇͐̏͘.̷̜̠̪͍͎̥͗̍͝ͅẘ̵̮͓̯́͂͆̏̂h̴̥̻͑̿͐y̶͚̥̆̈̅̐͐̄.̵̯̽̄̒͘.̶̥̱͕͕̜̲̖̰̎͐͑̉̔̊̈͝.̴̳͓͉͇͈͙̜͌̿̀̋̈́̅̈́̈́̚ ̷͔̪̽͋́̏̄ç̴̱̣͇̭̠̩̒̊ä̸̢̛͈̺̯́̊̌ư̸͎̆̔̀́ś̸̹̮̻̹͙̂̌̇̈́͆ȩ̸̱̖̅̍̊͛̉̂͝͝͝ ̴̛̛͕̮͖͕̘͚͚͕͌͌̃͗͛͛h̸̤́̃ë̸̝͓͈̓͆̊͘̚͘ŗ̶̱̭͎͔̹̼̊̑͋ ̷̡̡̫̝̖̲͙̗̫̃͝t̸̜̦̙͇̥͖̖̥̀̀̈́͜r̷̻̯͐̈̓̀̈́̎ͅơ̷̗̠̦̦̞̗̹̈̕ư̵̢̡̙͜͜b̸̮͔͚̹̔ĺ̵̦͈̻̲͙̠̑͘ë̷̡̙̟̱̻̲̟̾̂̆̑̒̕͜͝ͅ?̸̥͒̈́́"
".̷̡̡̬̦͍̰̰̤̘̈́͐.̵̡̨̛̥̮̂͋͑͐̅̔̓̀̌̀̕͠.̶̧̧̙̯̺̰̬̹̻̪̠́̓̊͗̊͂̀̍́̈́̎̿̀͠͝ͅw̴̳͉̟̗͎̫̰̟̖͚͈̤͓͍̤̐̍̑̉͆̆̽̓̉͒͋̄́͌͘̚͠h̷̨̩͓͙̣̟̿̌̈́̓́͂̃͂̾̃͋̿y̵̻̲͖͕̝̝͉̜͌̽̔̓̑͌̐̽̈͛̄̉̌̀͘̚ͅ.̷̨̛͉͉̣̜̅͌̃̋͆͆̒̚̚͠.̴̫̲̿.̸̡̹̟̣͉̜̤̆̅̇̀̂̽̾̒̋̔͝͝ ̵̛͚̲͂̈́̋̐̍̀̐͂̀̈́̓̿̆̕͝͝͠m̸̡̛̠͇͓̭̮͎̘̮͔͉̽̀͑́͒͊̅̂͌͑̅͊̄̚a̸̭̻̔̓̋̔̄ǩ̴̡̜̫̹̫̓͐̑̏̾̐͂͆͋͘͘͘ͅé̷̛̥̣̭͆̽̃̏̉̓̇̂͋̉͒͗̉͝͝ ̵̦̗̳̾̅͛̿̓̀̅̋͛h̷̢̢͙̞̻̬̟͍̤̝̩̩̲͐͆̃̀̔̀́̆ͅͅẻ̴̳̦͇̖̐͋́͗͋͛̈͋̉͗̆̉̄̚̕͘͝ŗ̶̧̛̻̦̤̣̟̒͗͒̏ ̷̢̗̩̬̻͚̲̪͈̦͎̦̀̀̃͐͑̈́͌̏͌͒s̵̨̰̪̝͕͈̮̮̰͙̩̈́͆̅̀̈́͊̈́̕ȁ̶̢̭̭̠̹͔͗́̿̏̄̋̏̋̽́̏̏̋̂̃̕̚ͅd̷̨̧̨̨̨̖̮̙̬͓̫̞̹̺̬̮̀̃̾̄̎̕ͅ?̵̺̹͈̲̜̼͆̎͊͆́͗̓̓̃̐͛̊̌̈́͘͝͝ͅ"
".̵̡͇̲͉̥͖͎͂̏͋̉̀͝.̶̖̂͂̃̊͝͠͝.̶̢̜͚͙̩̇͌͗͆̍̿͛̓̽̀̇̃̈́̿͘̚͝Ḁ̷̡̰̟̿̑̈̏̅̀̉̈́̈́̄̉̇̂͑l̴̢͕͙̭͈͖̱̺̙̞͗̓̅̑̐̈̈́̊̓̒̇͐̈͝͝͠i̴̡̛͕͔̩̥̺̠̩͈͇̦̻͚̘̙͋̅̏̑̔̆̾̆̓́̅̒͊̂c̸̢̛͚̣̯̞͑̀̍͆̄̔͑͑̓̒́͊̓̚͘̕͝ę̷̛̛̱͖͙̻̿̇̇̄͒͑̈́̊͠.̵̧̦̯͈̇̽̏̇̆͐̈́̕.̷̩͒͗̔̓́̿̂̃͜͠.̸̢̩̫̱͓̲̱̖̼̭̤̩̊͜ ̸̧̯̱̠̪̗̘͕̰̦̥͈͈̈́͂̓̔̂͋͋̍͛̈̉̎́́̇͘͜͝W̴̨͇̠͚̗̗̟̋̊í̵̢͙̊́͗́͘̚l̸̢̹͊̑́͋̿̆̔̅̍̽ľ̸̨͍͍͙̭̣̩͓͖̹͇̝̙̻͓͎̗͈̋̃̽̓̑̂̔̀̆̈͝͝ ̵̡̘͉̱̺̭̩̗͍͆̓̓̋͒͘k̸̨̡̯̦͇̜̖̤͖̝̻̻̦̘̍̆̈̌̄̍̍̚͘͝͝i̸̼̲͖̪͕͙̠͙̓̈̈̊̀̓̕̕̕ļ̸͚̠̲̠̹̞͖̦̮̠͕̥̙͙̤̜͗̓͆͆̈́̃̓̀̈́͑̾̈́͋͒̚̚͝l̴͙̺͕͐̐͜ ̷̢̛̝͍͖̀̈́͐͂̈́͛̉̎̅́̉̏̉̚͝͝͝ŷ̸͕͙̺͈̤́̉̈́́̋̿̔̾̆̕̚o̴̢͔̘͙̹̜̟̟͚̾̉̆̄̿̋͗͛́̑͗̃̏̌̃̕͝ǘ̸̧͔͙͎̼̫͕͇̲̹͔͔̝̖̹͚̮̓͊̇͂̐̎̿͋̚͝͝ͅ.̶̧͕̲̤̜̖̟̮̪̤̋̅̽̓͗͗͒̀͛͒̐̕͠͠͝͝͝.̸̨͖͕̅͆̽́͌̒͝.̴̧̨̰̙̯̬͖̲̹̲̗̈́̓"
".̴̧͎͕̗̯͂́͗͝.̴͚͔͚̟̗̳͓͕̜̮̀̆̓̄͛̉̏̓.̷̼̰̰͛͊̃À̸̗̺͆̓̍̈́̈͛͠ͅl̴̘͎̬̊̑͌̽́̿̃̈̈́͒͠i̶̢̢̪̬̜̫̻̭̭̇̅͌̇̊̓͛͝͝c̶̢̛̯͕̦̘̼͒̎e̸̡͒͌̈́̌͠͝.̴͙͍̪͕̗̦͔̑̄́̾͊̈́̍́͒̓̕.̵̛͍̉͑̈́̇͂̾̇͝.̸͉͐̉̈́͆͗ ̵̹͎͕̝͙̓W̴͚̻͙͙̗̞͕̗̖͘͜͝ỉ̸̗̹̌̈́͛̒̏l̴̺̐̍̀̅̒̑̒̎͛͠l̵̫̙̞͖̹̣̼̲̰̇̄͒ͅ ̸͇̜͕͎̠͚̦͎̳̏̽͗̌͝ͅk̸͎̭̦̪̞͖͛͊͋̋̎̊̀͗ḯ̷̥̟͌̇̿̊̀̊̿̚͘͝ḽ̸̢̢̗͍̩͈̲͓̾̊̒̆͗͐̄̕͝͝l̴̡̛͙͍̣̭̜̍̅̈̏͜͜͝ ̵̢͕̙̦͇͈͔͑̃͋͋̆ỳ̶̼̠̭̳̻̝͕̱̃̀͛͋͐̄̽̆̀͜o̴͔̘̹̒͆̈́̍̊̈̉̕͝u̴̳̘͎̘̤̱̠̳̖̩͉̔.̴̗̓͊͌̾͆͛͘.̴̢̪͈̩̳̌̄̇̈́̔̿̑̑͂̓̚͜.̶̢̻͚̖̝͔͚̤̳̦̇ͅ"
".̶̝̩̫̟̈͛̑̓̈́̆ͅ.̵̢͚̾͆.̴̤̟̆̿͊Ḁ̵̉͐̑͋̚l̶̥̗̻̓͒͛ͅi̴̛͖̟͕̦͇̒̋͋̐̓c̴̢͈̳̈́̑̃ȩ̴̨͇̼̽.̸͖̿͆̆͊̄.̷͖̦̪̐̀̈́̉̉͜͝.̶̬̣̥͆̔̀̒ ̵̡̫͗Ẅ̶̳́̅̇̃i̵̘̝̙̲̓ͅl̸̻̺̰̑̀̀͊̊l̵̼͍̅̔̔̕͘.̶̨̢̻͕͓̚.̴̪̖̤̥̏͘ͅ.̸̦̤̪͓̽̉̑ͅ ̶͍̏̍́̏̀̊ǩ̷̮̗̀̀͊̚ì̵̙̝ĺ̷̤̲̭̗̅l̵̫̮̬̍͊́̍͐ ̵̭̺̝͙̜́͋̏͒ÿ̶̯͚̠̾́͒̒̊o̷̯̎̀̌͘͘ü̸̹̲͍̥̾̈́͊̇.̷̪́.̸̻͐̂̍.̴͉̑͊"
".̴͉͛̄.̷͉̜̙̃́.̶̮̿͜k̵̖̱̓ỉ̶̥̏́l̶̢̰̙̆̃̕l̵̨̧̯̈́͋̕ ̶̗̼̍̉̿͜y̸̱̠͋̋ǫ̶͝û̷͙̓͠.̶̦͙͑.̵͔͇͕͐͠.̸̧͈͒̃"
".̵̪̾.̴̜̈́.̴̩̍k̸̨̕i̸̹͑l̴̜̒l̸̗̈ ̷̟͊ÿ̸̫́ȍ̸̲ù̶̮.̴̩̓.̵͍̓.̸̪̐"
".̶.̶.̵ ̵A̸l̵i̵c̷e̶.̵.̴.̷ ̵w̷i̷l̶l̶ ̵k̵i̶l̸l̴ ̴y̴o̵u̶.̴.̷.̷"
"Alice will kill you..."

The small girl spoke, her words at first unintelligible, but as they got clearer, determination grew in the small girl's eyes until it settled and she reached out for Triss's hand simply grabbing hold of her wrist and hand with her own small hand. The gaze locked on Triss's face while holding her hand, from the outside it looked like a very innocent gesture, one that Triss might even take as a sick joke or some kind of weird prank if she believed Lucia controlled the girl.

If Triss took too long to pull her hand away though, she'd find Alice was unnaturally strong physically. Even if she exerted more strength uncurling the girl's fingers, she'd find she was lifting and pulling off her own skin in the process as it almost seemed like the girl glued her hand to Triss's wrist. As things would grow more serious, it would become harder to distinguish, a painful pinching sensation coming from the place Alice made contact, if Triss kept trying, it would be as if she were trying to rip off her own skin and flesh as Alice's hand began fusing to her arm.

"Alice, you don't need to go that far. You shouldn't just kill people."
"......"

At Lucia's lecture, the girl frowned looking up at Triss. Her innocent child-like smile began to stretch unnaturally. Like a knife's blade was splitting her cheeks up to her ears as the grin grew wider. Sharp teeth replacing the innocent teeth of a child, Triss would be able to see bear's jaws, shark's teeth, snakes fangs in that maw as it began to open, as Alice tried pulling Triss closer from their connected point.

"... Just not killing?... Alice can do that... Alice always listens to the Miss... Not killing... Only... Not Killing."

@Trissayne Lavelle

 

[Nyx]

"AIN'T NOTIN NORMAL ABOUT DAT PAIN!"

She doesn't mean to scream.

It wasn't her intention to get this riled up.

But here she stands, her breath heaving through her chest, her face contorted in with a mix of fear and absolute rage. Her muscles twitch beneath the darkness of her skin, tightening and relaxing against her will, beyond her command. There is a part of her that knows she is toeing a line that she will never be able to walk back from, but the part of her that is in control, that wants to wipe Lucia's self-satisfied smirk off her lips, doesn't fucking care.

Perhaps there's a tell that Triss just hasn't realized she makes, but it's apparent she's thinking about lunging at the Duchess. The rational thought of being outnumbered, of Lucia being leagues more powerful than she is, is beyond her comprehension. All she wants is to grab her, to make her feel even a fraction of what she felt as those needles darted in, pierced her skin, drained her dry and her friends never looked ba—

The girl Lucia has been petting this entire time reaches out and grabs Trissayne's hand, catching the older woman off guard. She blinks, the haze of anger obfuscated momentarily by confusion. Why was this child touching her? She goes to tug her hand away and finds herself unable to do so. Her brows knit, she grits her teeth, and she tugs again, only to scream in pain as she feels the skin begin to separate from her flesh. Blood wells where Alice begins to fuse with her and it drips from the wound, welling, and pooling on the ground between them while Triss screams and yanks and pulls, tearing herself apart in the process.

"GET DIS TING OFFA ME! GET IT OFFA ME!"

@Lucia Mierz

 

[Lucia Mierz]

The small girl only tilted her head. That widening mouth coming closer to Triss, if the woman didn't stop her, she'd pull on her arm to try and reach her shoulder. The child small but feeling like she might weigh thousands of pounds as she tried to use all of those teeth to bite down on her shoulder and neck. Rather then chewing or ripping a chunk out though, it seemed to be just another contact point to fuse and insert herself into the woman's skin, the teeth and fangs trying to sink in normally before digging in like tree roots.

The more Triss struggled, the deeper Alice tried to burrow into the woman's body until a hand finally came up to try and grab for her neck and cheek. Trying to grab hold firmly enough to begin bonding there as well, portions of her flesh moving as roots began to sink into her flesh from the contact point, spreading and moving beneath her skin as they reached up from her neck and face towards her head and nostrils. It grew harder and harder to try and tare her off as she kept trying to dig deeper until skin wasn't all she would lose in the separation as she tried digging into meat and bone as well.

If Triss didn't find a way to cut the girl from her body those tendrils would reach all the way up to her skull through her nostrils and cheek trying to make contact with the interior of her brains slowly but surely working their way in like leeches.

"Punish... Punish for being rude..."
"Suffer... Deserve to suffer..."
"Part of Alice... Part of you..."
"Anger... Hate you... Hate this..."
"Part of Alice... Part of you..."
"Searching... Your name... What is it?"
"Honesty... Tell the truth..."
"Part of Alice... Part of you..."
"Part of Alice... Part of you..."
"Part of Alice... Part of you..."

The moment Alice made contact with brain matter, waves of whispers would begin pouring in through the connection. Growing louder and more numerous as more pathways opened. The small girl began making demands inside of her head. If Triss fought it or didn't listen the voices would grow louder and more fierce, if Triss gave her in game name, as if not satisfied, Alice would try to dig deeper.

"Name... What is your name..."
"Real name... Tell Alice..."
"Tell me... What is it..."
"TELL ME..."
"NAME... WHAT IS IT..."
"SPEAK... NAME..."

The buzz of voices got more and more fierce. Lucia watched with a bitter smile, unable to hear or understand the brutality of what Triss was enduring. Despite telling Alice not to kill her she wasn't aware of just how torturous such a situation was.

@Trissayne Lavelle

 

[Nyx]

She crumbles to the ground, her knees sinking into the grass, into the mud and bits of rock that litter the surrounding area. Her hands rip and tear at her flesh, at the creature digging and clawing its way beneath her skin, fitting in-between the muscles and bones as if it belonged there. As if it were comfortable burrowing in and making her body its new home.

And Lucia sat there, smiling, watching—

She feels the curl of something tight around her lungs, the long pained scream she's been holding onto cut short in a strangled gasp. Her eyes tear, liquid running down her cheeks and dripping from her jaw. Blood trickles from her nose, her eyelashes fluttering as Alice's demands pound against her brain and makes her bones vibrate from intensity alone. There was nowhere for her to go, no way for her to log out of this fucked up game and never return. She shouldn't have come here, she should've stayed away, she knew she shouldn't have raised her voice to this fucking—

Nice girl. Nice girl. Nice. Girl.

Another choked gasp sputters past her lips, her body tilting forward as veins bulge down her arms and across her forehead. More tears spill from the corners of her eyes while two thin lines of blood leak from her ears, her nose, and the corners of her mouth. She heaves and retches while on all fours, her back bowing impossibly high, the length of her spine stretching taunt against her skin and robe that keep her clothed. But Alice doesn't care. She continues to search, to devour, to consume until she finds what she's looking for.

The Truth of who Trissayne is when she is not Trissayne at all.

Desiree Lebasque. A bank teller for a little no-name institution. A woman caught in the grips of a life of solitude and rigidity, unwilling to break those chains for fear of what it would mean in the long run and how fucked up her life could get. Safe, secure, planned; a mantra lived day in and day out. Living check to check, never venturing outside of the bounds of New Orleans if she can help it, a brother somewhere on the other side of the States and an ex-love even further away than that.

TerraSphere was something new, something different. A welcomed change from the mundane. But now, it's become something else: something dark and twisted that calls to her even when she's sleeping and she's too weak not to answer, not to Seek, not to Know.

@Lucia Mierz

 

[Lucia Mierz]

Alice continued exploring, for a moment displeased, the emotion could be felt, the girl consuming parts of her was displeased by what she found. As those tendrils sank deeper, making one wonder how much of Triss would be herself by the end, and how much would end up being replaced, the voices continued whispering, pouring in from the background.

"Boring... It's boring..."
"Lacking ambition..."
"No drive... No determination..."
"No value..."
"Valueless..."
"Lacking..."

The voices spoke. If Triss looked down, she'd see an eye suddenly open up on one of her arms, followed by another, bright red eyes rolling before looking up at her as a third opened. The arm that Alice had started with was growing more and more eyes slowly as those writhing roots spread further. As more time passed, mouths would also begin opening along her arms with wide grins and smiles as Alice continued to work.

"Alice can make it better... Make it interesting..."
"Improve it... Grow it..."
"Better... Stronger..."
"Changing... Evolving..."
"More... There needs to be more... Interesting... Alice will make it better..."
"Desire for truth... Find truth..."
"Learn... Learn everything..."
"Find knowledge... Know all..."

The more Alice worked, trying to 'fix' or 'adjust' parts of Triss's thoughts, the girl tilted her head forcing knowledge into the woman's brain, overwhelming amounts of knowledge, about magic, about souls, about blood. The small girl would keep altering and adjusting, widening veins and passageways, strengthening her heart until it beat thunderously. Flooding her system with other kinds of blood, human blood, elf blood, beast blood, monster blood; compressing it, thickening it until that monstrous and powerful heart was needed to force the sheer amount of compressed blood through those new veins.

"... Useless to the Miss if it's not loyal... not friendly..."
"Make it attached... Friendship... Love..."
"Deeper... More attached..."
"Fix it... Make it sorry..."
"Twisting... Corrupting..."
"Alice will make it better... Will give it value to the Miss..."
"Give it to the Miss..."
"Give her to our Saint..."
"Make her one of us..."

As those roots sank deeper, Alice would even pour souls deeper in, tickling what Alice could find of the woman's spirit before letting another latch onto it, then another. Gradually trying to sew and bond them together as Alice was bonded to her arm and neck, stitching more souls and spirits, despite the woman's shape as a normal human, Alice was gradually adjusting her soul to better resemble a chimera, while doing the same with her veins and heart. Alice worked hard as those eyes and mouths spread across her limbs and up her neck to make Triss into a member of their family.

@Trissayne Lavelle

 

[Nyx]

One of us?
One of us!
Family.
Family.
Family.

There are too many voices in her head, too many opinions tripping one over the other as they swim through the grey matter of her brain and dig into the neurons that continue to fire off. Trissayne chokes, her eyes still rolling as Alice does her magic, as Alice sews her into something new and wanted and useful. There is no way to fight back, to fight herself free, and she can only dig her fingers into the ground to keep herself steady.

Salty tears eventually turn red and leave crimson streaks down her face. Her body trembles with exertion and the world around her wavers in and out of focus. Her mind is no longer her own, her goals and ambitions, her wants and desires are absorbed by a hive that she can't begin to fathom. There is no silence, any longer. There is only noise, only chaos—

It's impossible to speak, to beg. And every thought that trespasses even remotely close to hate, to loathing, to pure anger directed toward Lucia—toward The Duchess—is swiftly swatted and killed before it has a chance to breathe, to develop.

@Lucia Mierz

 

[Lucia Mierz]

Feeling her work was effective, Alice pushed further, wanting more, wanting to reach deeper, to consume and grow. Until her hands were hard to distinguish from Triss's own body, until one couldn't see her face from where it melted into her shoulder. The roots reaching deeper--

"Alice... She looks like she's in a lot of pain." Lucia couldn't help bitterly trying to stop the girl with a gentle sentence. The words made the girl straighten slightly her efforts halting briefly, but only briefly before rampaging, churning in hate, in frustration. She didn't like this woman, this woman who made her Miss sad, who insulted her creator and spoke down to her. Alice wanted to feast on her meat, chew on her bones and drink her blood dry. "Alice." Lucia's voice became more firm causing the Corpse Collector to stiffen once more.

"She should be fine now... Good..."
"Alice wants to do more..."
"Did plenty... Fixed her...
"Made it better... More useful..."
"Made it strong... Stronger..."
"Made it soft... Friendlier... Prettier..."
"Very pretty..."
"Very strong..."
"Only when serving..."
"Find the truth..."
"Be more beautiful..."
"Find answers... More power..."

The voices would continue complimenting and demanding even as Alice finally began to peel herself away. As if taring off portions of her own body, her hands and teeth being left behind, leaving squirming fleshy tendrils that gradually sank deeper. Those that couldn't make it into her body in time either withered or dried up into dust. Once contact was broken, the eyes and mouths would slowly close, slowly seal as if they'd never been there, though whether or not they'd be able to reappear, only Triss and by extension Alice would really know.

Having lost her hands and a portion of her face didn't seem to bother the girl, instead as she began to regenerate what had been lost, she observed the throbbing roots left behind until they finally disappeared. Alice turned to Lucia with a faint doll like smile. "Alice didn't kill her... It's okay..." The small girl simply stepped to Lucia and sat down beside her.

"... Are you okay?" Lucia couldn't help asking Triss, wondering if the woman had been hurt too much by Alice trying to discipline her largely unaware of how horrifying the encounter had been. Among all of Lucia's subordinates, Alice was, after all, the most unhinged and unleashed.

@Trissayne Lavelle

 

[Nyx]

She is covered in sweat, tears, and blood.

As Alice finally extricates herself from the rest of Trissayne's body, it flops onto the ground like a dead fish out of water. Her mouth opens and closes in an attempt to speak, but only a wheezing whimper manages to sneak past her cracked lips. Her body trembles, bits of dust and dirt and rock clinging to her darkened flesh and soiling the robes that delineate her as someone working with Spirit magic.

It is impossible for her to answer Lucia's question. Verily, she doesn't even hear the Duchess's voice over the cacophony of voices that run amok in her head, cackling and laughing and crying and swearing and singing—

It drowns out the buzzing, at least for now, but it makes thinking impossible. Every time she tries to gather her thoughts into a coherent line, another voice shatters her concentration, making her wince and recoil, her eyes pinching tight, her lips pressing together to keep the groan of dismay at bay. The tendons in her hands stand up stark against her skin, and the road map of veins leading down her arms, up her neck, and across her forehead is easy to read. There are no secrets there.

Not anymore.

Her throat tightens as she swallows, causing a wash of pain to spiral through her, making her even more lightheaded than she already was. But it's enough to give her the ounce of focus that she needs. Her hand flips over, the palm smeared with dirt and bits of red. Her right eye opens enough for her to activate the palm menu there, the system's menu, and the log-off button.

STAY!
Yes, please stay with us!
We haven't gotten to know you yet—
—Quite rude to just up and leave without a proper introduction—
Need manners? More manners?!
staY hErE fOrEvEr

She bites back a whimper and activates the log-off sequence before her hand falls flat, her body shuddering, one last breath leaving her to languish in unconsciousness while the world fades to black around her.

And yet, Lucia's bitter smile and watchful eyes seem to remain.

@Lucia Mierz

 

[Lucia Mierz]

Lucia exhaled a sigh, seeing the woman desperately logging out, she wasn't sure about the level of Alice's 'punishment' but it was clear it had been too much. Looking back to Alice, Lucia shook her head and reached out to pat the girl's head. "Did you go too far? If it had been Sylvanas or Ezra, they probably would've just slapped her a bit. You didn't do anything bad did you?" She asked, scrutinizing the corpse collector. Though as she stroked the girl's head, the strands of hair would come up around her hand holding it gently in protest.

"Alice... Only did what was necessary... Alice... Will always help Miss..." The undead's dedication was without question, it was why Lucia couldn't help scrutinize the girl a bit more before sighing with worry. The poor girl had a habit of going too far when it came to her, she was uncertain if in this situation if it was too much. While she was glad to be defended by her subordinates, she didn't want to kill or disable players who might suffer through real life consequences from her actions.

After an awkward moment of the summon trying to reassure her and make sure that Lucia didn't hate her, Lucia ended up shaking her head. "Okay. I trust you, just try not to permanently maim any players okay? I understand you're hungry and thirsty for evolution and truth, but you should be patient. I made you to outlast everyone and investigate over time, you don't need to rush." She spoke patting the girl's head. Alice was an immature core for her undead city, one day Alice would become the blight that protected all undead with centralized knowledge and banked bio-mass, but now she was still a naive corpse collector.

@Trissayne Lavelle